Vacuum-cleaner bag



Jun 17, 1930.

Filed Sept. 1, 1927 ATTORNEY.

Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES DAVID E. STOLPE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VACUUM-CLEANER BAG Application filed September 1, 1927. Serial No.216,856.

My invention relates to improvements in dust-receiving bags for vacuumcleaners, and consists essentially of a peculiarly constructedreceptacle of air-tight material,

which receptacle is closed at the upper end, has inlet and clean-outopenings in the lower end, a suitable closure being provided for theclean-out opening, and also has in one or both sides openings coveredwith material of a character to permit air to pass through, supportingrods for said covering materlal, a cage for each of said last-namedopenings, spacer rods in said cage, a cover plate also in said cage,resilient means to press said plate toward said last-named rods, a padreceivable or insertable between said spacer rods and said plate, abracket or clip at the to of said receptacle for the purpose of attacing the latter to and supporting it outwardly from the handle of avacuum cleaner, it being understood that the receptacle at the bottom isattachable to said cleaner, and yielding means which permits said clipto slide up and down on said handle, together with such other parts andmembers as may be necessary or desirable in order to render the bagcomplete and serviceable in every respect, all as hereinafter set forth.

as The primary object of my invention is to produce a vacuum-cleaner bagthat is comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction, can bereadily attached to and detached from almost any vacuum cleaner, and iscapable of preventing practically any and all dirt, dust, bacteria, andother impurities from escaping into and contaminating the atmosphereoutside of said bag, as is the case'when the ordinary vacuum-cleaner bagis used.

Another object is to construct the bag proper or receptacle with asediment tra in which is received the coarser portions 0 the dirt anddust sucked up by the vacuum cleaner, to which said receptacle isattached, and forced or driven from said cleaner into said receptacle,and from which trap such coarser portions can be easily and quicklyremoved.

A further object is to provide the receptacle with convenient means foropening and closing the sediment-trap mouth, and to enable the contentsof the trap to be removed without taking the receptacle from thecleaner.

Still another object is to afford means for supporting the receptacle atthe top in proper position relative to the vacuumcleaner handle, andmaintaining said receptacle in its full extended conditions longi- 6otudinally, at all times and regardless of the amount of distension ofsaid receptacle, whereby is prevented sagging which would be liable tointerfere with the functioning of the receptacle to the best advantage.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

I attain the objects and secure the advantages of my invention by themeans illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in 70 which- Figure 1 isa top plan of a vacuum-cleaner bag which embodies a practical form of myinvention; Fig. 2, a side elevation of said bag, showing the sameconnected with a vacuum cleaner; Fig. 3, an enlarged, cross sectionthrough the bag, taken on lines 3-3, looking in the direction of theassociated arrow, in Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a detail, with parts broken awayand removed, of one of the so foraminous windows and associated partsand members with which both sides of the receptacle are provided orequipped; Fig. 5, an enlarged, longitudinal section through one side ofthe receptacle and the foraminous window, taken on lines 55, looking inthe direction of the associated arrow, in Fig. 2; Fig. 6, a detail ofthe means for connecting the receptacle with the vacuumcleaner handle,as viewed from the rear, and with said handle in an upright position;Fig. 7 a plan of the bottom of the receptacle, showing in its opencondition the closure for the clean-out opening, and, Fig. 8, a plan ofone of the absorbent, air-purifyin pads.

imilar reference characters designate similar parts throughout theseveral views.

In Fig. 2 is represented, in side elevation, a vacuum cleaner 1 having atubular dis- 1c:

charge pipe 2 in the outside of which is set a pin 4. The handle of thecleaner 1 is represented at 6 in Fig. 1, 2, and 6.

A receptacle 7, made of some suitable material that is impervious toair, or through which air can not pass, such as rubber-sheetingforexample, is provided at the bottom with a ring 8 having therein abayonet-slot 9, and at the top with a clip 10. The re ceptacle 7 isbifurcated at the lower terminal, as represented at 11, to form anintake 12 above and a sediment trap 13 below.

The ring 8 is secured to the intake 12, around the open end (14, Fig. 7)thereof, and said end is adapted to fit over the discharge end of thetubular member 2, and to be fastened in place thereon by means of thebayonet-slot 9 and the pin 4, attachment and detachment being made inthe usual and well-known manner.

The sediment trap 13 has a clean-out 'opening 15 (Fig. 7) in the bottom,and a closure is provided for said opening, which closure may be in theform or consist of a pair of jaws 16 secured to the edges of saidopening and pivotally connected with each other at 1717. These jaws areprovided with a pair of shank-and-ballfasteners 18. This closure issimilar to that commonly used on shopping bags and the like. Whenthe'jaws'l6 are open, as in Fig. 7, the contents of the trap 13', and ofthe entire receptaclefor that matter, can be readily re-' moved, andthis without detaching said receptacle from the cleaner member 2.

The top of the receptacle 7 is permanently closed by means of a clip bar19, and the clip 10 is securely fastened to said bar on one side. Thisclip. has two arms which extend outwardly from the bar 19, and terminatein curved fingers, as 20, that are capable of embracing and grasping thehandle 6, but said fingers must not grasp said handle so tightly thatthey can not slide up and down thereon. An inverted U-shaped link 21, aspring 35, and a screw-eye 36 are provided to maintain the receptacle 7under tension, and enable it to expand and contract freely under theaction of the vacuum cleaner 1, and when dirt is forced into andaccumulates in said receptacle, on the one hand, and is removedtherefrom, on the other hand.

The link 21 is an inverted U-shaped member having at the bottomoutwardly and upwardl extending hooks, as 37, which are passed t roughopenings in the arms of the clip 10 at points near the bar 19, andhaving at the top an eye 38. The screw-eye 36 is set in the handle 6above the clip 10. The

spring 35 at the top ishooked into the screw eye 36, and at the bottominto the link eye 38.

As the receptacle expands or is distended,

and contracts or is collapsed, the clip 10,

sliding on the handle 6,.is accordingly drawn downwardly against theresiliency of the spring 35, and drawn upwardly by said spring, thusbeing prevented from sagging, and always maintained in proper conditionand position for the work required of it.

Without means for the escape of airfrom the receptacle 7, the cleanerlcould not, of course, be operated successfully, I, therefore, provide ineach side of said receptacle, a short distance below the clip bar 19, anopening 22, and stitch or otherwise secure by its edge portions to theedge portions of said opening a foraminous window 23, because, if theseopenings were not covered, the escaping air would take with it the dustand dirt forced into the receptacle by the cleaner 1. These two windowsmay be made of fabric such as is generally used for ordinaryvacuum-cleaner bags, and are of a character that permits air and thefiner particles of dust and dirt to pass through, the

latter being as a matter of course carried along with the former. Eachwindow 23 is on the inside of the receptacle 7, and surrounding theopening covered by said window on the outside of said receptacle is aing arranged at an incline from above downwardly and outwardly, in orderto afford ample space for the escape of air beneath the lower edges ofmembers presently to be described- -see Fig. 5.

A cage 27 having top and side pieces is mounted on each side of thereceptacle 7, in adjacency to corresponding edges of the window 23 onthat side. The cage 27 is perpendicular to the side of the receptacle 7on which said cage is mounted, and has at the inner edges outwardlyextending flanges 28 that" rest on the terminals of the spacer rods 26and are secured in place by adhesive tape, or other suitable means. Acover plate 29 fits within each cage 27, and is yieldingly held in placetherein by means of a bow spring 30, which extends crosswise of saidplate and has its ends attached at 31 to the receptacle 7 on each sideof the cage 27 spanned by said spring. In the center of each plate 29,on the outside thereof, is a knob 32, and one of the springs 30 is fasinthe cages 27, and forced toward the two sets of rods 26, by the springs30.

An absorbent pad 33 is made of a shape and size to enter the lower, openend of each cage 27, between the rods 26 and the plate 29 in said cage.The two pads 33 are formed of material, which is capable of taking upmoisture, mounted on skeleton frames, and when in operative positionsare located in front of the windows 23, but are spaced therefrom andheld at an incline by the rods 26. To facilitate the removal of the pads33 from their cages, each of said pads is provided at one end with a tab34.

When the pads 33 are thrust into the cages 27 from below, the springs 30yield as said pads press the plates 29 outwardly. The pads are forcedupwardly in the cages until the upper ends of said pads encounter thetops of said cages, and the pads are therein held by the spring-pressedplates 29. Upon the withdrawal of the pads, the springs 30 press theplates 29 against the rods 26.

Before the pads 33 are introduced into the cages 27, said pads should bemoistened with water, or a disinfectant solution, to insure, when saidpads are in place, the lodgment on and in said pads and the extensionthereby of all dust, bacteria, and other impurities that escape with theair through the windows 23. Upon their removal, the pads can be washedand cleansed and made ready for use the next time.

In practice, assuming that the intake 12 is properly connected with thecleaner pipe 2, and the clip 10 with the handle 6, and that the jaws 16are closed, it is first necessary to moisten the pads 33 and insert themin the cages 27. Then, as the dust-ladened air under pressure from thecleaner is forced into the receptacle 7, through the intake 12, said airimpinges on the closed upper-end portion of said receptacle, spreads outon the sides of the receptacle, and passes out through the windows 23.The windows 23 strain out of the air the coarse particles of dust anddirt, which fall down in the receptacle, but the fine and evenmicroscopic particles, including any bacteria that may be present, passthrough said windows with the air, and are caught by the pads 33.

The heavier and larger particles of dust and dirt drop into the lowerportions of the receptacle and into the trap 13, from which they areremoved, whenever necessary, through the clean-out opening 15, afterfirst opening the jaws 16.

At the end of the vacuum-cleaning operation, the pads 33 are withdrawnfrom the cages 27 and thoroughly washed to remove all impuritiestherefrom.

Owing to the manner in which the receptacle 7 is constructed, no dustand dirt can clog the intake 12, consequently the entrance to thereceptacle for the air and whatever may be commingled therewith is freeat all times, which is an important advantage.

The construction, whereby the pads 33 are tilted outwardly at theirlower ends, prevents said pads from shutting ofi' or preventing, orunduly interfering with, the escape of the air after it has passedthrough the windows 23 and has had the impurities removed therefrom bypassing in contact with said pads.

Obviously any fabric or other material through which it is possible forair to pass must also permit the finer particles of dust and dirt topass through.

More or less change in the shape, size, construction, and arrangement ofsome or all of the parts of this bag may be made, without departing fromthe spirit of my invention, or exceeding the scope of what is claimed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the handle 0% a vacuum cleaner, of a bag forsaid cleaner, said bag comprising a receptacle attachable at the lowerend to said cleaner, and provided at the upper end with a clip havingfingers to grasp and slide on said handle, a link attached to said clip,and a spring connected at the bottom with said link and at the top withsaid handle. I

2. A vacuum-cleaner bag comprising a receptacle of material which isimpervious to air, and having therein a side opening, a window offoraminous material secured to said receptacle over said opening, a cagesecured to said receptacle on the outside and on three sides of saidopening, a plate in said cage, means to hold said plate in place, and apad adapted to catch and hold impurities, and receivable in said cagebetween said said receptacle over said opening, a cage secured to saidreceptacle on the outside and on three sides of said opening, a plate insaid cage, yielding means to hold said plate in place, and a pad adaptedto catch and hold impurities, and receivable in said cage between saidwindow and said plate.

4. A vacuum-cleaner bag comprising a receptacle of material which isimpervious to air, and having therein a side opening, a window offoraminous material secured to said receptacle over said opening, a cagesecured to said receptacle on the outside and on three sides of saidopening, a plate in said cage, means to hold said plate in place, a padadapted to catch and retain impurities, and receivable in said cagebetween said window and said plate, and means to hold the end of saidpad that is at the open end.

of said cage outwardly away from said window.

5. A vacuum-cleaner bag comprising a receptacle of material which isimpervious to air, and having therein a side opening, a Window offoraminous material secured to said receptacle over said'opening,supporting rods fonsaid-window secured to said receptacle outside of thewindow, spacer rods secured to said receptacle and extending outside ofsaid supporting rods, a cage secured to the outside of said receptacleadjacent to three sides of said window, a cover plate in said cage, aspring arranged to force said plate toward said supporting rods, and apad adapted to catch and retain impurities, and receivable between saidsupporting rods and said plate, said pad being removable.

,6. A vacuum-cleaner bag comprising a recptacle attachable at the lowerend to a' vacuum cleaner, and provided at the upper end with a memberwhich has parts to grasp the handle of said cleaner and support saidmember rigidly from said handle at all times, but capable of sliding upand down on the handle, together, with yielding means to support saidmember on said handle in the longitudinal direction thereof.

7. A vacuum-cleaner bag comprising in combination, a receptacle ofmaterial which is impervious to air and having a side opening therein, aWindow of foraminous material secured to said receptacle over saidopening, a pad of absorbent material overlying said window and spacedtherefrom to provide a passageway therebetween at one end thereof.

8. A vacuum-cleaner bag comprising in combination, a receptacle ofmaterial which is impervious to air and having an opening in a sidethereof, a window of foraminous material overlying said opening, a padof absorbent material overlying said window adapted to catch and holdimpurities, the

said pad being disposed above said window to provide an unrestricted airpassageway therebetween at one side thereof.

9. A vacuum-cleaner bag comprising in combination, a receptacle ofmaterial which is impervious to air and having an opening in a sidethereof, a window of foraminous material over said opening, a cagesurrounding said opening and window for receiving a pad and having anopen side, a pad of absorbent material in said cage overlying saidwindow having an end spaced therefrom to provide a space therebetweenwhich co-operates with the open side of the cage to form an airpassageway for air discharged through the window.

DAVID E. STOLPE.

